Special Law Enforcement Training

Law Enforcement Training for Schools

To prepare law enforcement officials to respond to shootings at schools and other public places, Attorney General Roy Cooper has made Rapid Deployment Training available to all law enforcement including School Resource Officers (SROs) through the NC Justice Academy.

Previously, law enforcement agencies relied on SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) teams to respond to deadly force. Traditional police training taught the officers first to arrive at a shooting incident to "surround and contain" until a SWAT team could get there. Tragedies like the school shooting in Columbine, Colorado showed that a new approach was needed.

Rapid Deployment teaches officers who are first to arrive to assemble a contact team of officers, enter the building, and find any active shooters. Next, a rescue team of officers is dispatched to go inside and assist anyone who may have been injured. During an emergency such as a school shooting, rapid deployment technique can save lives.

Courses in Rapid Deployment have been conducted across the state. Officers then carry the training back home and teach other officers.